Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Luděk Stádník Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Ducháček Author-Name: Jan Pytlík Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Matúš Gašparík Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Radim Codl Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Marek Vrhel Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Title: Cow metabolic status assessed from fat/protein ratio in milk affected ovarian response and number of transferable embryos after superovulation Abstract: This work aimed to evaluate the quantity and the quality of flushed embryos based on the metabolic status of dairy cows, lactation number, and size of the ovaries. Fifty-nine Holstein cows on 1st to 5th lactation were enrolled in the experiment. Monitoring took place during the period from October to November and from March to June. Cows with corpus luteum were included for the hormonal treatment - superovulation and timed insemination. The cow was inseminated, resp. re-inseminated, during the induced heat with insemination doses from one bull from the same batch. Embryo flushing was performed on the 7th day after the first insemination. We isolated individual embryos after flushing, and morphologically evaluated them under a stereo microscope. The metabolic status of tested cows was determined based on the ratio between fat and protein in milk around the period of embryo flushing (< 1.1; 1.1-1.3; > 1.3). Data about fat and protein content were taken from milking parlour records. Data were evaluated in SAS v9.4 with GLM procedure. The results of our study showed that there is a significant relationship between the fat/protein ratio and the total number of flushed embryos, resp. the number of transferable embryos. The highest number of flushed and transferable embryos were collected from the group of cows with fat/protein ratio between 1.1-1.3. The fat/protein ratio within these values represents cows in an optimal metabolic state. We also observed a significant positive relationship between the size of the ovaries and the number of flushed and transferable embryos. Lactation number did not significantly affect monitored parameters. The assessment of the fat/protein ratio might become a useful tool for the evaluation of cows selected for embryo transfer. Our findings could be used to improve the efficacy of the superovulation system, with the aim to extract the maximum number of transferable embryos. Keywords: corpus luteum, Holstein, embryo flushing, lactation number, ovary size Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 39-46 Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/187/2021-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/187/2021-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202202-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:67:y:2022:i:2:id:187-2021-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Eva Tůmová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Darina Chodová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Zdeněk Volek Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves, Czech Republic Author-Name: Tarek A. Ebeid Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Production and Breeding, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Mohamed Ketta Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Věra Skřivanová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves, Czech Republic Title: A comparative study on the effect of quantitative feed restriction in males and females of broiler chickens, rabbits and nutrias. I. Performance and carcass composition Abstract: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of feed restriction on the growth performance and carcass composition of chicken, rabbit and nutria males and females. Feed restriction was applied at a rate of 70% ad libitum from 14 to 21 days of age in chickens, 70% ad libitum from 42 to 49 days of age in rabbits, and 70% ad libitum from 12 to 15 weeks of age in nutrias. Animals were fed ad libitum prior to and following restriction. Carcass composition was evaluated at common slaughter ages, i.e., 31 days in chickens, 70 days in rabbits, and eight months in nutrias. The results showed stronger effects of feed restriction, sex, and their interaction in broiler chickens than in rabbits and nutrias. In chickens, feed restriction increased the sex differences in final body weight, which were associated with interaction of feed restriction and sex (P = 0.009). Feed restriction as a fixed factor significantly affected growth and feed conversion in chickens and it was with no effect in rabbits and nutrias. The effect of feed restriction on carcass composition was negligible in all selected species. With respect to sex, significant differences were observed in chickens in final body weight, daily weight gain, dressing out percentage and breast percentage, in rabbits in loin percentage, and in nutrias in growth and perirenal fat percentage. Results of the study indicated that interactions of feed restriction and sex in growth might be associated with a short realimentation period. Keywords: species, sex, growth, carcass yield Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 47-54 Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/185/2021-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/185/2021-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202202-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:67:y:2022:i:2:id:185-2021-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Eva Tůmová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Darina Chodová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Zdeněk Volek Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves, Czech Republic Author-Name: Tarek A. Ebeid Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Production and Breeding, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Mohamed Ketta Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic Author-Name: Věra Skřivanová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves, Czech Republic Title: A comparative study on the effect of quantitative feed restriction in males and females of broiler chickens, rabbits and nutrias. II. Meat quality Abstract: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of feed restriction and sex on the physical, chemical and histochemical parameters of meat quality in chickens, rabbits and nutrias. Feed restriction was applied at a rate of 70% ad libitum from 14 to 21 days of age in chickens, 70% ad libitum from 42 to 49 days of age in rabbits, and 70% ad libitum from 12 to 15 weeks of age in nutrias. Animals were fed ad libitum prior to and following restriction. The results showed stronger effects of feed restriction, sex, and their interaction on the meat quality of broiler chickens than in rabbits and nutrias. The effect of feed restriction, sex and their interaction were mainly observed in the nutritional value of meat, while physical measurements of meat were negligibly affected. The interaction between feed restriction and sex affected the cross-sectional area of muscle fibre only in rabbits and nutrias. The data indicated the relationships between compensatory growth, muscle fibre distribution, and nutritional value of meat. Keywords: species, sex, feed restriction, physical and chemical meat quality, muscle fibres Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 55-64 Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/186/2021-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/186/2021-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202202-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:67:y:2022:i:2:id:186-2021-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ying Lin Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Shi-Zhong Hu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Yang Sun Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Ling Jin Author-Workplace-Name: China National Engineering Research Center of JUNCAO Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Chang-Kang Wang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Yu-Yun Gao Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China Title: Effects of bacitracin zinc, potassium diformate and lauric acid on duodenal digestive functions, intestinal morphology and caecal microflora of broilers Abstract: This study investigated the effects of bacitracin zinc, potassium diformate and lauric acid on duodenal digestive functions, intestinal morphology and caecal microflora of broilers. A total of 240 male broilers were randomly allotted to four treatments consisting of five replicates with 12 birds per replicate. The dietary treatments were CON group (basal diet), ANT group (basal diet + 40 mg/kg bacitracin zinc), KDF group (basal diet + 1 000 mg/kg potassium diformate), and LA group (basal diet + 500 mg/kg lauric acid). The results showed that the chymotrypsin activity was significantly enhanced on days 21 and 42 in KDF group compared with CON group (P < 0.05), but there were no effects on the activities of trypsin and amylase (P > 0.05). No differences in digestive enzyme activities were found between ANT and LA groups (P > 0.05). Compared with CON group, the villus length and the villus-to-crypt ratio were significantly increased on days 21 and 42, and the crypt depth was significantly decreased in ANT, KDF and LA groups (P < 0.05). Compared with CON group, the supplementation of LA increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium on day 21 and the relative abundance of Bacillus on day 42 in caecum, while the supplementation of KDF increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium and decreased the relative abundance of Dorea on day 42 in caecum (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation of KDF enhanced the chymotrypsin activity. Dietary KDF and LA maintained the intestinal morphology by improving the villus length and the villus-to-crypt ratio and decreasing the crypt depth, and regulated the caecal microflora. Keywords: broiler, enzyme activity, organic acids, intestinal health Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 65-74 Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/123/2021-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/123/2021-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202202-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:67:y:2022:i:2:id:123-2021-CJAS